Saturday, June 16, 2012

Contact: Joan
Clark Houk FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cell Phone: 724-612-3842Email: jhoukmdiv@mac.comIn July of 2006 twelve women were ordained in the
Roman Catholic Church illegally, but validly, on the riverboat Majestic on
Pittsburgh’s three rivers. This was the first such ordination in the USA for a
movement that started in Europe four years earlier. The public is invited to
celebrate the sixth anniversary with a showing of award winning documentary,
Pink
Smoke Over the Vatican, at Hollywood Theater,
1449 Potomac Avenue, Pittsburgh 15216, June 29th at 7:30 p.m. Producer Jules
Hart and Bishop Joan Clark Houk look forward to a lively discussion following
the film. Joan Clark
Houk, a Pittsburgh native, was ordained a priest in the 2006 Pittsburgh
Ordination. Following election she was ordained Bishop for the Great Waters
Region of Roman Catholic Womenpriests (RCWP-USA) in April 2009. Bishop Houk
recently stated, “Although I affirm dialogue and collaboration as a model for
each of us in renewing the Roman Catholic Church, there is another time honored
model, which RCWP USA is following. It comes into play when all other means have
been exhausted. The unjust law excluding women from ordination must be broken in
order to change it. This is an honorable and historic model for change.”
July is being
called women’s ordination month in honor of the part Pittsburgh has played in
bringing the Roman Catholic Womenpriest movement to the United States. Other
activities are planned, and more are in the planning stage. (See www.joanclarkhouk.com)
More
information about Roman Catholic Womenpriests can be found on their web site:
www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org. “The rejection of
women’s ordination by the Vatican is clearly based on antifeminist,
theologically unfounded arguments. In answer to this we are seeing an increasing
wave of resistance among Catholic women and within church reform movements, as
they demand equal rights for women and justice within the Roman Catholic
Church.” Rev. Dr. Ida Raming, ordained a priest in the first ordination of RCWP
on June 29, 2002 on the Danube River; Representative of the German Section of
the international RCWP Movement.

"Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the Vatican's ultra-powerful Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith, is a devoted disciple of his boss and mentor,
Pope Benedict XVI, in virtually every way save one. While the former Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger was a celebrity as a Vatican official, Levada, who turns 76
today, keeps a much lower profile, preferring to operate behind the scenes.Levada rarely gives interviews, and when he does, it's because he has
something to say, not because he simply enjoys the exercise.As a result, when Levada agreed to an exclusive one-on-one interview this
week to discuss the Vatican's dust-up with the Leadership Conference of Women
Religious, you can take it to the bank that it wasn't a casual choice. Instead,
it amounted to acknowledgment that the LCWR dispute has stirred enormous
discussion, much of it critical of the Vatican, and this was Levada's effort to
respond.For instance, Levada knows well that the move has been perceived as an attack
on religious women across the board, and insisted that those perceptions miss
the mark."We're sad if people somehow think that these guys in Rome are trying to
bring the hammer down on our nuns, or don't appreciate them. The assessment is
actually effusive in its praise of the work nuns have done over the years,"
Levada said."This assessment is not about the sisters in the United States," he said.
"It's about the Leadership Conference of Women Religious."The interview was arranged several days before a meeting Tuesday in Levada's
office with two representatives of LCWR, so his decision to grant it was not a
response to anything that happened that morning. The fact that the interview
took place shortly after the meeting ended, however, also afforded the chance to
discuss its results.Levada limited the scope of the interview to LCWR (so no questions on the
Lefebvrites, for instance), but other than that, he placed no restrictions on
the ground to be covered. The conversation took place in his residence, located
across St. Peter's Square from his office, and lasted roughly one hour."I published a news
piece[3] with highlights from the
interview Tuesday. The following is the full text of the exchange. Readers following the LCWR story may also be interested in a Q&A[4] I published Wednesday with Archbishop J. Peter
Sartain of Seattle, the American bishop tapped by the Vatican to lead an
overhaul of LCWR, who also participated in Tuesday's Vatican meeting. The text
of that interview, which took place in Rome at the North American College, can be found here[4].

Interview with Cardinal William Levada

June 12, 2012How did the meeting this morning go?I think it went pretty well. Sr. Pat Farrell and Sr. Janet Mock, president
and executive secretary of the LCWR, had asked to come over to give some more
substantial and personal responses to the doctrinal assessment. I had discussed
[the assessment] with them, and gave it to them personally, in our meeting on
April 18. They said, "You invited us to speak frankly, and we want to do that.
We're here to share our pain and our sense of why we were so stunned by this."
In a way, I understand that reaction. We've been accused of a lack of
transparency, but in my view, putting everything out at once as we did was a
gesture of transparency. We're not coming at this with a thousand cuts, saying
first let's do this, then let's do that, and dragging it out. We have a
collegial process, so something like this had to go through the congregation,
the ordinary members, and then to the pope. It seemed necessary to me and the
other superiors of the congregation that we have a clear statement of what this
is about. Did you pick up any indication of movement by the LCWR on the
substantive issues in the assessment?I wouldn't go so far as to say that. They talked to us about what a great
outpouring of support they've had for the sisters in the United States. I'd like
to say a word about that, for clarity's sake. This assessment is not about the
sisters in the United States. It's about the Leadership Conference of Women
Religious, a coordinating and directive body that has a spokesperson's role for
80 percent of the religious congregations in the States or so. It exists because
of a canonical statute in which the Holy See invites them to do this work of
coordination, in a way that's in sync with the teachings of the church and the
directives of the Holy Father. That's the basic issue we discussed with them.
I think Bishop [Leonard] Blair did a very credible job with his investigative
assessment and presenting it to LCWR and to us. I don't accept these accusations
about a lack of transparency or "unsubstantiated accusations." This is not about
people accusing LCWR of anything, it's about observing what happens in their
assemblies, what's on their website, what they do or don't do. We talked a lot about dialogue today. That's a big word with the LCWR. I
shared with them my view that the nomination of a delegate to work with them is
precisely about dialogue, especially someone with the qualities of Archbishop
Sartain. I've known him for many years, and I have great admiration for his
sense of faith and of ecclesial communion. I think he's the best person to
engage in this kind of dialogue. My concern, however, is that we've been going through this assessment for
four years, and so far not much has changed. Along the way we've seen, for
instance, an "occasional paper" [published by LCWR] by Charlie Curran, or
Barbara Marx Hubbard is invited [to address the 2012 LCWR assembly]. In some
ways, and I used this phrase today, it seems to me like a dialogue of the deaf.
Sometimes people have different images of dialogue. For some, dialogue is an end
in itself, while for some of us it's a means to an end. We'll see what happens.
I'm not able to play the prophet in this matter. From your point of view, it's premature to say that the LCWR is
prepared to move on the substantive issues outlined in the doctrinal
assessment?I would say that's correct.Speaking of Barbara Marx Hubbard, LCWR officials have said they went
ahead with their assembly in August because you gave them permission to do so.
Is that accurate?Yes, mea culpa! At the time, I hadn't been aware of who was being invited to
speak or to get an award. I appreciated their concern that everything was
already in place, and I said that's fine, we're OK with that. We haven't asked
them to do an about-face. I feel comfortable in saying, however, that I wish
they hadn't made these choices. By that, you mean the choice to invite Hubbard?Yes, and also to give an award to Sr. Sandra Schneiders for a view of
religious life which has nothing to do with the teachings of the Second Vatican
Council or the post-conciliar church.For the record, let me say again this is not about a criticism of the
sisters. No sister will lose her job in teaching or charitable work or hospital
work as a result of this assessment, as far as I know. ... This is about
questions of doctrine, in response to God's revelation, and church tradition
from the time of the apostles. We take that seriously. I've been doing this work
for seven years, and I do it willingly, because I believe in it. It's not easy
in a secular society like ours in the States, or in Europe for that matter. The tensions outlined in the doctrinal assessment have been around
for a long time. Why is this coming to a head now?One answer is that the wheels turn slowly here in the Vatican. Also, when
something comes [out of this office], people may be surprised by it, but that
doesn't mean the process hasn't been under way for some time. It just goes to
show that even in this age of Vatileaks, some of us are able to keep a
pontifical secret. In reality, this should not be a surprise to anyone. We started this process
four years ago. I met with the representatives [of LCWR] then to explain it to
them. Of course, these things go on at a snail's pace here, while the LCWR has
changes in leadership all the time, so the new leaders may not be familiar with
the history, and they have to go back over it all.Why now? It's a reasonable question in that this is not new stuff. Yet it's
cumulative, and at a certain point someone has to pay attention to it. Looking at trends in religious life these days, some people would say
that since younger religious tend to be more traditional, you could have simply
waited. Why force the issue now?We could be accused of being callous if we simply said, "What does it matter?
These congregations aren't attracting new membership and so on, so let's just
wait it out." But we're dealing with the life of faith, the life of the church.
Most of what we do is an attempt to make that life of faith stronger. If you
postpone doing something for 10, 20, 30 years, you're promoting a weaker faith
life instead of a stronger one.One theory for why you're acting now is that you're worried about
property. Specifically, the charge is that the hierarchy wants to assert control
over the real estate and other assets controlled by women's congregations before
they walk away with it. Can you respond to that?Matters of property are not the responsibility of this office. Church law
does say that for "alienation of property," you're supposed to have approval of
the Holy See, though sometimes that's more honored in the breach than the
observance. But such questions are not our competency.In general, I think the religious orders have a moral obligation, if they've
got property and wealth on their hands, to do the right thing with it, to be
sure that it goes to educational and charitable works in accord with the
intentions of the donors. Certainly, our congregation won't be in charge of it.
So concern about property had nothing to do with the doctrinal
assessment?Absolutely not.You said a moment ago that this is not about "the sisters," but LCWR.
Yet looking at recent events, including the apostolic visitation of women's
orders in the States, the LCWR crackdown and the notification on Sr. Margaret
Farley, many people can't help concluding that there is a broad attack underway
on nuns in America.I've read some articles along those lines, but it's just not the case. These
things take a lot of time, and they all have their own logic. For instance, we
didn't just wake up one day and say, "Let's go after Margaret Farley." Frankly,
this came up because of an interview she gave in Ireland. She was there for a
conference, and said something along the lines that Ireland ought to approve
same-sex marriage. Someone in Ireland objected, asking, "Why is this sister
coming from the States and pushing same-sex marriage?" We wrote to her superior
and got a vague response about how she's a wonderful person who enjoys great
esteem. That's how Margaret Farley came onto our radar screen. It had nothing to
do with the LCWR. We then found [her book] Just Love, read the reviews,
and the process developed from there.I don't see any conspiracy. All of us as Catholics have responsibilities, but
especially bishops, priests and religious, to speak the good word that is the
faith of the church, which is that God is revealed through Jesus Christ. We have
nothing to say about the "Gospel according to Maureen Dowd," of course, but
Margaret Farley is a woman who represents the church. If anything, [the Farley case] collaterally gives another example of why this
LCWR assessment is taking place. Too many people crossing the LCWR screen who
are supposedly representing the Catholic church aren't representing the church
with any reasonable sense of product identity.There's no concerted effort to beat up on the nuns?I could say that some of my best friends are nuns. I had nuns all through
school, and I used to go to visit a couple of them when they got old and so
forth. I admire religious life, and I admire religious men and women. They're a
great grace in and for the church. But if they aren't people who believe and
express the faith of the church, the doctrines of the church, then I think
they're misrepresenting who they are and who they ought to be.On some points in the assessment, such as women's ordination and
same-sex marriage, it's hardly just LCWR that's not in complete lockstep with
official teaching. In some sectors of Catholic opinion, dissenting views on
those points are widespread. Why pick on the women religious?We're not picking on people. We're saying that people who have a
representative role as spokespersons in and for the church also have a higher
responsibility. It's the same standard with theologians, even if they're laity.
We intervene, we give notifications and so forth. Sure, their books go off the
charts, but we're here to say that this doesn't correspond with the truth of our
Catholic tradition, with the revelation of Christ to the apostles. I know some people say, "Isn't my opinion as good as anybody else's?" But
this isn't a question of my opinion. I don't wake up and say, "Here's dogma B, C
and D." These are the teachings of the church. Read the fathers of the church,
read the medieval theologians and so on.LCWR has said it's considering its response. What happens if they
say, "We won't go along with this"?I mentioned to the sisters today that we shouldn't look at this primarily
from the angle of who's in charge here, what's the authority, and so forth. We
should start with the issues, and how we can come to an understanding about the
issues and the needs. There's a great deal of subsidiarity in the church, and
religious communities are a classic example. Of course, if you look at the church as a hierarchical structure -- whether
you see that as benign, or something else -- ultimately, the pope is the
superior. If he says, "Sisters, I want you to do this, I want you to take a look
at these things, and so forth," that's what I hope will be the outcome.I suppose if the sisters said, "OK, we're not cooperating with this," we
can't force them to cooperate. What we can do, and what we'd have to do, is say
to them, "We will substitute a functioning group for yours," if it comes to
that.What would such a "functioning group" look like?Good question. I hope it would look like a conference that focuses on the
priorities of religious life, the life of holiness, which is the fundamental
call of all of us in the church, and the good that can come through the
apostolic works that many of these orders are committed to and the prayers that
others are committed to. I would like to see religious as champions of the
mission of Jesus Christ in the church and the world.So if the response is not satisfactory, the result could be
decertification of LCWR?It could be. We only have so much information, and what we've outlined is
based on the information we have received. But as I mentioned to the sisters, if
one or more parts of that is not correctly perceived, they will tell the bishop
delegates, and that won't be a problem.You spoke about substituting something else for the LCWR. Isn't there
already something else, in the Council of Major Superiors of Women
Religious?That's not my business. That's something that was decided years ago.What's to prevent LCWR from making this decision for you, by deciding
to reincorporate under civil law and cutting their ties with the official
church?I suppose nothing, assuming they could satisfy civil law concerns and pay for
it. The Holy See, however, isn't going to give its patronage to it.If that happens, would something new have to be created to replace
LCWR?It could very well be. I think there is a value to the work of coordination,
on helping to get the religious communities to focus on common issues in their
lives and in the church. What we would like to see, however, is an effective and
strong LCWR. I know many people have as a hope and a goal that eventually the CMSWR and
the LCWR could reunite, but that's not part of this agenda. This is about the
doctrinal strength and witness of the LCWR.What can you say about the relationship between LCWR and the U.S.
bishops?That has come up in our conversations a little bit with the LCWR leadership.
It certainly is a concern of many bishops. The relationship has not always been
as strong and as beneficial as it might be. When I was archbishop in Portland [Ore.] we had meetings, I think twice a
year, between religious superiors or their delegates and bishops or their
delegates. Those were good opportunities for us to share mutual concerns and to
be supportive and so forth. They weren't perfect, but they were very helpful. I
mentioned that to Sr. Pat Farrell, and she said they have something like that in
Iowa and that it's been very useful. I know the bishops are concerned about their relationship with religious in
general, and particularly women religious, because there have been tensions over
what we talk about as "feminist" ideas, such as the depiction of a patriarchal
church, a patriarchal Bible and a patriarchal God. Ultimately, these are faith
issues, and bishops have to be concerned about them. We all do, and I think they
need to be on the table in these discussions.Is part of the agenda here to bring LCWR under the control of the
bishops' conference?I don't think that. There's no idea that the result is going to be replacing
religious institutes of pontifical right. It came up today in discussion, so I
suppose it has crossed people's minds, but that's not my thought. I don't think
bishops want to run religious life. They have plenty on their plate. They want
to be in a collaborative, healthy relationship, that's the main thing.This is not about the USCCB taking control of the LCWR?Certainly not.Some analysts have detected slightly different tones from the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Congregation for Religious,
with the latter broadly perceived as more open to dialogue with women religious.
Does that concern you?It's a concern insofar as it creates a perception that the Holy See is not
united in its approach on these questions. Of course, you always have to allow
for a difference of opinion and also a difference of approach. The Congregation
for Religious has an enormous task. There are new groups coming up all over the
world, and there are problematic areas they have to deal with all over. Certainly, we all want to be nice, but we also need to be concerned for the
truth, in a loving way. That's what our congregation would like to see as a
particular focus in our work on behalf of the doctrine of the faith, to promote
it as well as to safeguard it. All the offices of the Holy See are interested in
that, but they have different competencies. The Congregation for Religious has
an enormous panorama. I can only imagine what daily life must be like in that
office, and the correspondence they get on this, that, and the other thing.Is there a risk of mixed messages?That depends on who you're talking to, and how you interpret what people are
saying. I don't think that ultimately there's a mixed message, because the Holy
Father has asked our congregation to implement this doctrinal assessment. We're
doing it in conjunction with the Congregation for Religious, and for those
things that are part of their competency, we'll certainly be working together.
We have different competencies, as is common in the different dicasteries of
the Holy See, and even though our approaches may be different, we try to work
together.Would it be wrong for someone to conclude, on the basis of perceived
differences within the Vatican, that you're not serious about the need for
attention to the points in the assessment?Yes, quite so. That's exactly right.It's been reported that one of the prime movers in this process,
behind the scenes, was Cardinal Bernard Law. Can you comment?I don't think there's merit to those reports. Cardinal Law is certainly
concerned about the vitality of religious life, and I've talked to him about it.
Others of us here have, but he's not involved in this. We do have another
American on the congregation, Cardinal [James] Stafford, but I discount such
conspiracy theories and I would say they're not correct.Are you willing to say that if people want to know who's responsible
for this, the answer is you?Correct, our congregation is. It's a mistake to try to find others to blame for it?Absolutely.Is the bottom line, as you see it, that an institution that
officially represents the church needs to do so in a way that's consistent with
church teaching?Yes, I think that's the bottom line. I recognize there are theories which say
that religious life is not a creature of the church, it's not responsible to the
church, and so forth. I think those are simply mistaken theories. There wouldn't
be religious life if it were not for the church. There are, of course, different
developments and different styles of religious life, whether they're
contemplative, monastic, apostolic, and so forth, but in any case their whole
mission is the mission Christ gave to the church. They aren't separate from
that, and they can't be.The church is a broad umbrella, and it doesn't quickly exclude people, even
people who disagree on one point or the other. That's not just a question of
different views, but also different behavior. People may not act morally, and
that's why we have the sacrament of penance as an access to the mercy of God.
The church is not hasty about excommunicating anybody. But ultimately, this is
about a group that represents the church doing so in a way that is accountable
to the teaching and tradition of the church.There has been a wide outpouring of support for the sisters in the
States, coupled with a good deal of criticism of the Vatican for its handling of
the LCWR case. Are you aware of that reaction, and what do you make of
it?I'm certainly aware of it, and I think it's completely misplaced. In Catholic
education, charities, and hospitals, none of these works is exempt from review
and evaluation. We even review parishes. You go in and assess what's there, you
talk to people, and you make commendations and recommendations. That's a
standard procedure, and you can't say you're exempt from it because your faith
is a private concern, a matter for your conscience. We can't know your
conscience, because that's your relationship with God and there is an interior
element to it. But we can know what you profess, what you say you believe, and
what you recognize as the beliefs of the Catholic church. These are objective
things. We don't need to develop conspiracy theories or to impute sinister motives.
None of that is applicable here. This is about keeping faith with Jesus, and not
just as an external thing, but because it's a saving faith. It's grace, God
inviting us to eternal happiness. We're sad if people impute bad motives to us, or if they somehow think that
these guys in Rome are trying to bring the hammer down on our nuns or don't
appreciate them. The assessment is actually effusive in its praise of the work
nuns have done over the years. We're interested in seeing that work continue and
improve, that's all we want.What would count for you, in the short term, as evidence that the
LCWR is moving in the right direction?Enter into a sincere, cordial and open dialogue with the delegate that has
been named, Archbishop Sartain. That certainly has not happened so far. I know they feel there's a lot of uncertainty about what response they should
give, and they're a membership organization, so they have to talk to their board
and so forth. But I think that [a dialogue with Sartain] would be a sign of a
response that wants to find whatever is good in the implementation of this
assessment, and I think it would be the beginning of a real opportunity to look
at things not as you want them to be, but as they are, and to take the steps
necessary to improve them.Realistically, do you think LCWR can become what your assessment
envisions?I think so, absolutely. That's my hope and prayer. It has the elements of
concreteness that I believe are part of the American genius for practicality,
and I think it can work. Is there any other point you would like to make?I'd like to say a word about obedience. In the church, the pope is the
superior, ultimately, and obedience has been an integral part of the evangelical
counsels and of religious life from the beginning. This process is also an
invitation to obedience for the sisters in LCWR as representatives of their
groups. They call their own sisters to obedience when they need to, and that's
an appeal I would want to make to them now, to look at this as a deeper living
out of their own vowed life and the vow of obedience.[John L. Allen Jr. is NCR senior correspondent. His email address is
jallen@ncronline.org.]

Bridget Mary's ReflectionObedience means to listen to God's Spirit who is guiding the church, It does not and has not meant obeying the pope! We have two different worldviews here and they are not compatible.Cardinal Levada Interview with John Allen of NCR/ demonstrates that the Vatican is from Mars and the Nuns/LCWR are from Venus. They represent two completely different understandings of what it means to be church -- the Vatican :Medieval and Patriarchal as in nuns should obey the pope and the hierarchy vs. LCWR:Collaborative and Egalitarian, let's dialogue about these issues as sisters and brothers serving the Catholic community. There is no way to sugar-coat the Vatican-led seizure, hostile take-over of LCWR. They want nuns to play by their rules, obey doctrine that should be questioned and "re-formed". The Sisters are following the the example of Jesus in the Gospel, who treated women and men as equals and partners. The are living prophetic obedience to the Spirit and raising important issues for the contemporary church that has not been received by the faithful such as women's ordination, gay rights and marriage, and contraception.I hope the LCWR has taken action to protect money, property, and other assets so they cannot be seized by church authorities in the U.S. Catholics in the U.S. clearly support nun justice and will be on the side of the nuns if the hierarchy try to play hardball in the courts.Who is going to do an assessment of Cardinal Levada and the CDF and its mishandling of the global sexual abuse scandal in the church? It is ironic that the Vatican does not see the beam in its own eyes! Picking on the nuns/LCWR has become a PR disaster for them and they are on the defensive. Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwpwww.arcwp.orgsofiabmm@aol.com

Friday, June 15, 2012

"Brother Louis DeThomasis, FSC, a Christian Brother for 40
years and the president of St. Mary’s University in Minnesota for 20, has
written a new book in which he calls for, among other things, the ordination of
women as part of an overall metanoia (change in consciousness) that
must, he argues, be brought about in the church. “Is the institutional church
dying?” he asks. “Yes, fortunately.”“It is fortunate because this death can be the occasions for a
metanoia in the church,” he writes in Flying in the
Face of Tradition: Listening to the Lived Experience of the Faithful
(Acta). “Sexual abuse, corruption, authoritarianism, lack of
transparency, and cover-ups have all been collapsing into and on top of the
institutional church….The 'tipping point' has been reached, and the moral
authority, honor and respect that the institutional church once elicited from
most peoples and secular institutions around the globe no longer exists.” Brother DeThomasis, now 70, views this as a positive spiritual development.
“However, if there is metanoia and transformation within, then there
will and can be a 'resurrection' for the institutional church." His brief book
(102 pages) touches upon what he calls the “subversion” of Vatican II, the
proper use of tradition and what is bound to be the most controversial topic:
the ordination of women. “After listening to the arguments put forth by the
institutional church that Jesus would demand anything other than the full
complete and total equality of all persons in his church and finding those
arguments completely unpersuasive and often silly," he writes, "we the faithful
believe that the ordination of women not only should take place, but must take
place soon."What is perhaps most surprising about this book is that Brother DeThomasis
writes from within the heart of the institutional church, as a member a large
religious order, after many years in a leadership role (he served as president
of St. Mary's from 1984 to 2005) and still in active ministry: he runs the
Christian Brother Investment Services, and lives in Rome. (Acta is
also a well-known Catholic publisher, which publishes books and offers parish
resources on church history, religious education and prayer. One of its authors
last fall was Pope
Benedict XVI.)"

Bridget Mary's Reflection:More evidence of my premise that a spiritual uprising is rocking the Catholic Church. I am very happy that Brother supports women's ordination and soon. We already have Roman Catholic Women Priests. I fully agree that the total equality of all is a major issue that the church must address. It is the elephant in the living room with LCWR too! You go Brother De Thomasis! Another must read book, Flying in the Face of Tradition! All you need is the Inquisition men in Rome, your neighbors, to condemn it! Thanks to James Martin for bringing it to our attention. One of my books, A Promise of Presence was published by ACTA too!Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwpwww.arcwp.org

"A REPORT carried out by the Archbishop of New York for Pope Benedict XVI, which expressed concern about “the atmosphere, structure, staffing and guiding philosophy” of the Irish College in Rome, contained “significant errors of fact”, Ireland’s four Catholic archbishops have said.Pope Benedict announced an apostolic visitation of some dioceses, as well as seminaries and religious congregations in 2010. The visitation to the Irish College in Rome last year was led by then Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who has since become a cardinal.A copy of the unpublished visitation report, which was presented to the Congregation for Catholic Education in Rome, has been seen by The Irish Times.It has called for “substantial reform” at the college.The four archbishops, who were the college’s trustees, were criticised in the report as seeming to be “disengaged from college governance, with meetings, minutes, agenda and direct supervision irregular . . . The general rule of governance is ‘Let’s keep doing what we have been for the last 35 years’,” it said.The Irish archbishops say they “made a detailed and considered response to the Holy See”.Cardinal Dolan was assisted in the visitation report by the then Archbishop of Baltimore in the US and now Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, Msgr Francis Kelly of the Northern American College in Rome and others.The college, which was founded in 1628, educates students for the priesthood and is a popular wedding venue for Irish couples who wish to get married in Rome."

"...This week, about 240 priests from around the country are meeting
at Saint Leo University in St. Leo for the inaugural assembly of the newly
formed Association of U.S. Catholic Priests. Among its goals: To be a "voice of
hope" and to "celebrate and implement the visionary concepts of Vatican Council
II."The Rev. David Cooper, a Milwaukee pastor and board chairman,
says keeping the spirit of what was intended by the council — which opened in
October 1962 and concluded in December 1965 — is urgent, given the direction the
church seems to be taking."We're not positioning ourselves to be a controversial voice,
but a collaborative one," he says. "With fewer priests and smaller dioceses
spread out, you can feel isolated. This gives us a place to gather and share our
concerns and goals."Just having a collective voice is a new step for Catholic
clergy. This is the first-ever national group of priests, which Cooper calls
"long overdue." Catholic bishops, lawyers and even musicians have their own free
associations, yet clergy only had representation through priests' senates and
councils. This organization is for individuals, and includes both diocesan
priests and members of religious orders.Response has been swift and encouraging, Cooper says.When the organizing committee first met in August near Chicago,
it recorded 27 members. It has since grown to 640, Cooper says. With about
40,000 priests in the United States, he says the association needs at least 10
percent participation to be viable — about 4,000 members.With Vatican II at the half-century mark, the association will
concentrate on examining each of the documents released by the council and how
the changes have fared. The first will be the liturgy, which recently went
through some revisions in November when the Vatican instituted a new translation
of the Roman Missal. It was the first major change in the Mass ritual since the
early 1970s.Reaction to the changes — which included different
English-language responses meant to conform more closely to the official Latin
text in a dozen sections of the Mass — has been more tepid than enthusiastic.
Some critics have called the wording "old-school" and cumbersome, while
supporters like the traditional aspects.Cooper would like to hear what Catholics in the pews and priests
in the trenches have to say about it. So the association will adopt a resolution
asking that the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at
Georgetown University do a nationwide survey on the reception of the new
missal.Besides providing a forum for priests and serving as a
"spiritual and psychological advocate," the association also intends to support
female church colleagues, some of whom are now under scrutiny by
Rome.This week, representatives of the Leadership Conference of Women
Religious met with Vatican officials to discuss the growing tension between the
two sides. Church hierarchy has accused American nuns of flouting core doctrine
and taking an overly liberal "feminist" bent, and said it will reform the group
— which represents 80 percent of Catholic sisters — to adhere to church
teachings.The group is now effectively under Vatican receivership for the
next five years. Rome's intention is to overhaul the group, rewrite its statutes
and review its plans and programs.The crackdown on the nuns has prompted an outpouring of support
from laity and clergy, who have touted the good work the sisters do in
education, health care and tending to the poor."This process hasn't been open or fair with the sisters,"
Ruggere says. "They've been wanting a two-way dialogue about this for some time.
I think it's important we let them know we support their efforts in getting
their voices heard...."

Bridget Mary's Reflection:This new group of U.S. priests is another positive step forward. I am sure the LCWR appreciates their solidarity!Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwpwww.arcwp.org

Speaking frankly to some 300 colleagues assembled for an annual meeting of
the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA), Jesuit Fr. Agbonkhianmeghe
Orobator said that of particular concern is the disregarded role of women in the
church.Saying that women are often the “face of redemption turned visibly” toward
those the church serves, but are often “banished beyond the borders of
relevance,” Orobator said the state of their participation in the church
community leads to an uncomfortable question.“As a church, so long as we surreptitiously but tenaciously rehearse the
politics of discrimination and exclusion, we stand before God, as Cain was,
befuddled by a question that we simply cannot wish away at the wave of a
magisterial wand,” said Orobator.“And the question is: ‘Church, where is your sister? Church where is your
mother?’” Orobator’s comments came in a plenary session Friday morning during the
four-day CTSA convention. The 67th annual gathering of the group, the theme for
this year’s event is “Sacrament/s and the Global Church....”

[Joshua J. McElwee is an NCR staff writer.]More stories from the CTSA convention:

http://amanpour.blogs.cnn.com/category/latest-episode/Are American nuns straying from church doctrine and promoting "radical feminists" themes, as alleged?Interview with Joan Chitister.Bridget Mary's ReflectionI was surprised that one of the Vatican's hot button issues here was not mentioned: women's ordination.

Amanpour should have asked Joan Chittister, do nuns support women's ordination?Answer yes, and many would choose to be ordained if they could do so!

Jennifer Granholm lauds the nuns campaigning against the Paul Ryan budget, and standing up against The Vatican, to stand for the disempowered and vulnerable. “Nuns have, thoughout history, gently cared for the poor, the sick, the homeless. But today, these sisters are pocketing their rosaries – for the moment – and pulling on their boxing gloves,” Granholm says. To the nuns: “On behalf of anyone who has ever wanted to speak truth to power, sisters, your example gives us courage.”

Inclusive Worship Aids, a resource created by priests in the
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests contain a variety of Eucharistic
liturgies. Some will be ideally suited for Advent/Lent, Easter/Pentecost, and
Ordinary Time, while other celebrations like the liturgy of the Poor, the Marian
liturgy, and the Women’s Empowerment liturgy can be used for anytime. It is our
hope that this resource will be a blessing for all inclusive communities who
worship in spirit and truth. The prayers and rituals can easily be adapted to
the specific needs of any group. You have our permission to fit our resource to
your needs. It is our hope that other pilgrims will experience the blazing fire
of Spirit's outpouring as they enter into the celebration of new life. We truly
believe that in God and in the Christ we live and move and have our being. As we
take our place around the banquet table of Christ’s love, we invite all to the
tent and pray that all may be one. The moment has arrived and the celebration
has begun!

Vatican tries to rewrite nuns

The Vatican is taking some hard lines against American nuns it views as too progressive in their thinking. In the Rewrite, Lawrence O'Donnell explains why the nuns - and even Stephen Colbert - are right and the Vatican is wrong.

Over the past two years of this grassroots community we have heard homilies about the naming of injustice and the spiritual empowerment of bent-over women and men in our church and world. Today we have used the same Gospel and readings as we did for Donna’s ordination Mass. In Saturday’s ordination homily, Bridget Mary Meehan spoke of the “spiritual uprising” happening within our Church.

In the Gospel when the synagogue leader expressed outrage that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, Jesus called the religious leaders, hypocrites, and pointed out that this healing was for a daughter of Abraham and Sarah, who had suffered for 18 years. The messages for us today are that: 1) Jesus treated women as equals. 2) People have priority over rules and regulations. 3) Sexism is sinful and should always be challenged. 4) Our Compassionate God lifts up all who are bent over by the burden of patriarchy.

We are learning to stand up straight.As I read this Gospel and focused on the bent – over woman, three contemplative stories surfaced: One of an experience from Monday night, one that Donna had shared with me, and one that took place many years ago.On Monday night, we took a drive to my son and daughter-in-law’s house near the Kentucky River. We were taking in the beauty of the countryside, the rolling hills, horse farms, vineyards, and the ducks, rabbits, and variety of birds on my son’s farm. We headed down to the ferry by the river and sat on the bench and watched the ducks and talked more. We looked at metal markers showing how far the river had risen. As we headed back to the car, we noticed a van parked next to it – which we hadn’t heard drive up.

In the front seat I could see a young woman bent-over the steering wheel and as I approached the car, I could see that she was sobbing. I touched her wrist, and as I could feel her receptivity, I spoke to her softly, asking if there was anything I could do. It ended up that she followed us home. She shared her pain and little by little some funny stories, including what kind of a crazy woman was she that she was following these three women home that she had just met. But actually, she had been praying, asking God to please help her and when we identified ourselves as priests – she knew that God had answered her prayers.

She was barefooted and I brought her some flip-flops. She gave the indication she was really hungry when I asked her if she’d like something to eat. She talked and the more she talked the more she began to laugh and sit up straight and asked to come back.

The second story relating to today’s Gospel comes from a neighbor friend of Donna’s who had a daughter who was two years old when she was diagnosed with leukemia. She was in and out of treatment until the age of 10. That’s when it returned full force. She and her parents knew it was terminal. Like any mother it was devastating to think her child was going to die. Over time her mother noticed that her daughter would occasionally stare off into the distance. It was like she was transfixed with a smile on her face, wonderfully content. After each of these episodes, she told her mom that she saw “the kids” and they made her very happy.

And, the kids were
telling her, “They want me to go with them.” One day she told her mom the names
of the kids that she saw and heard. They
were all children who had passed away. The mother and daughter knew one of
them: Jarred. He and the little girl had both been in treatment together. Before
he died, Jarred created the Joy Cart at the Markey Cancer Center in Lexington
so that kids undergoing treatment would have toys to play with during their
hospital stay. When the little girl’s
mother saw that her daughter was happy, she was able to sit up straight. The
same with the little girl who had been bent over with concerns about the
future. When she saw the children, she sat up straight, no longer fearing what
was next.

The final story is
about my Grandpa and the vision he saw when he was a young man bent over with
loneliness. He told me the story two weeks before he died.

My grandpa’s parents
came from Poznan, Poland. They worked in the coalmines in Pennsylvania and
bought a farm in Pulaski, Wisconsin.
They died before my grandpa was 10 from what today we call black lung
disease. He was put in an orphanage. When he was 17, he fell in love with my
grandma, but her Dad said he would have to save $5,000 before he would allow
him to marry her.

Grandpa rode the
rails to the Dakotas to get work in the wheat fields. There he was alone for
days at a time, cutting wheat. He felt so
isolated and alone and he missed and longed for Anna, my grandma. One day while
he was threshing the wheat, he said he heard this strange swishing sound. He
turned around and there she was:

An angel! An angel
with wings! And she looked at him with eyes that filled him with comfort and
protection and hope for a life with my grandma.
Bent over no more with loneliness, he stood up straight with a heart
full of dreams for the future.

Nun Justice members protested Wednesday at an Atlanta hotel where the bishops were meeting.

ATLANTA — "Ten years after a raging scandal forced the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops to adopt a package of policies for combating sexual abuse, the prelates on Wednesday heard a generally positive assessment of their progress at their annual meeting, and turned their attention to their newest overriding concern: their campaign to protect religious liberty.... "

Bridget Mary's Reflection:The Bishops advocate for their religious liberty which is in violation of the religious freedom of the Catholic Church because the majority of Catholics and non-Catholics alike support contraception coverage. Vatican II, which is an authoritative Council of the Church, which the Pope, Cardinals and bishops are supposed to obey, taught that the people of God are the church, not the hierarchy alone!

...On Tuesday, the LCWR's president, Sister Pat Farrell, and executive director, Sister Janet Mock, met in Rome with Sartain and Cardinal William Levada, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is the guardian of who and what is truly Catholic.

"It was an open meeting, and we were able to directly express our concerns to Cardinal Levada and Archbishop Sartain," Farrell said in a statement afterward, the Associated Press reported.

The Vatican issued a statement saying that although the meeting was cordial, "the LCWR must promote church unity by stressing core church teachings," the AP said. The LCWR sisters were more focused on social justice efforts than on backing the bishops in their push against abortion and gay marriage, the report said.

This is not just about the Vatican vs. the nuns, Allen says. It's about "what it means to be Catholic in the 21st century."

It will be August, after weeks of consultation and prayer, before the LCWR decides what to do, a spokeswoman, Sister Anne Marie Sanders, said last week....

...The LCWR's choices are to accept the bishops' supervision or to pull out, order by order. The consequences of that would be to lose their "canonical recognition" — papal approval under church law.

That would have financial and religious consequences, raising such questions such as who owns their property. It would jeopardize their tax-exempt status, even their right to call themselves Catholic sisters. It also would take the LCWR out of the halls of influence.

Sister Theresa Kane told the National Catholic Reporter that the Vatican has been after the LCWR ever since she shocked Pope John Paul II in 1979 by telling him women deserved to be in "all ministries" of the church. Her public challenge to the pontiff came days after he reiterated that the priesthood was solely for men.

Delio predicts the LCWR "will not give in. We are not doing anything wrong. … It's the Spirit at work in our lives."

Toledo Bishop Leonard Blair led a "doctrinal assessment" of the LCWR, which was the basis of the Vatican's takeover decision. He pinpointed moments viewed as defiance of Catholic doctrine. He focused particularly on a 2007 speech by Sister Laurie Brink, then the LCWR president, in which she appeared to praise a "post-Christian" congregation that left the institutional church.

Theologian George Weigel, a Roman Catholic who is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, agrees with Blair. He says, "It's not about power. It's not about misogyny. It's about doctrine. … Church-attending Catholics would find it difficult to accept the idea that religious life can be 'post-Christian.' "

Weigel says the LCWR "only exists because the Holy See says it exists. The question of who decides what it is or is not is up to the church. There's not a lot of room for to-ing and fro-ing."

Bridget Mary's Reflection

The church is the people of God, not the hierarchy alone. The Vatican is NOT the church, nor should it be the one to decide the LCWR status. It is your decision and you can decide to declare your emancipation: Like the great civil rights movement you can proclaim your liberation: "Free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last" No more male domination, patriarchal oppression or clerical control!

Sisters, the ball is in your court! Now the possibility of nun priests is on the horizon. Just think what a blessing it would be for our church ! In many ways, you will be able to pursue justice in other arenas as well such as public advocacy of hot button issues such as women's health care and gay marriage.

The recent hostile take over by the Vatican of the LCWR is an example of Vatican abuse of women, some have called a "war on the nuns". It should be deliberately renounced by the entire Catholic community. Once again the Spirit of God is leading and nuns are living a a new paradigm of religious life which has become a threat to the hierarchy.

As I have said a number of times, it is time to shake the dust off your feet, Sisters, and continue your witness to Christ's compassion in our world. I rejoice that a new day of liberation is dawning for nuns in the church, and the LCWR is leading the way!

"There are many celibate gay Catholic priests in the church today. (And let
me emphasize, since that last statement is usually misunderstood, I'm speaking
about celibate gay priests. These are validly ordained homosexual men
who lead celibate lives.) What is exceedingly rare is the Catholic priest
who speaks publicly about his own homosexuality. (There are only a handful in
this country who have done so.) An article in America in 2000 examines this phenomenon, and lists some of
the reasons why Catholic priests remain silent about this aspect of their
lives--even as they lead celibate lives.

Even rarer is the openly gay Catholic priest who speaks about issues related
to homosexuality and homosexual activity. That is why this ten-minute speech by
Robert Pierson, O.S.B., a member of the Benedictine community at Collegeville,
MN (and listed as a priest in good standing in the 2011 Official Catholic
Directory) is so unusual. Father Pierson, who had worked in campus
ministry at St. John's University and is currently the director of the Spiritual
Life Program at St. John's
Abbey, speaks of his own homosexuality, his experience in ministering to gay
and lesbian students, and then describes why he bas concluded that a Minnesota
Catholic may vote "no" on a proposed state amendment that would prevent same-sex marriages. In
2005, Father Pierson had resigned from his post as director of campus ministry
after the Vatican officially barred men with "deep-seated homosexual tendencies"
from ordination, and because of broader issues in the church's
teaching. "Because I can no longer honestly represent, explain and defend the
church's teaching on homosexuality, I feel I must resign," he said at the time.

Needless to say, his comments on
same-sex marriage are in direct opposition to the U.S. Catholic bishops,
including Archbishop John Nienstedt of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who has
vigorously supported the amendment (that is, opposing same-sex marriage) and
asked parishioners in his archdiocese to recite a "A Prayer for Marriage" as part of the Prayers of the Faithful
(petitionary prayers) at Masses. The bishops could not be clearer in their
opposition, which rests primarily on the Christian tradition of marriage as
between a man and a woman (as well as on the church's opposition to homosexual
activity). Father Pierson's appeal is primarily to freedom of conscience, and
on that topic he quotes both the Catechism and Pope Benedict XVI. "Our
Holy Father taught in 1967 that we must obey our own conscience, even if it puts
us at odds with the Pope. I doubt that he knew that he was going to be Pope when
he said that.""Bridget Mary's Reflection:Another example of the spiritual uprising that is taking place in the Catholic Church. in our midst! Bravo to Father Robert Pierson for speaking truth to power and sharing the liberating good news of freedom of conscience. Yes, many of us, including your sisters in the Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement, are like you, living prophetic obedience even when it puts us at odds with the Pope! Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwpwww.arcwp.org

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2012/06/12/exp-allen-vatican-nuns.cnnJohn Allen's Report:Issues were not resolved in "open dialogue", "No wiggle room on matters of substance"Cordial atmosphere but neither side budged. Cardinal Levada believes that LCWR has deviated on same sex marriage, women's ordination as priests and cannot represent church as an official pontifical entity.Bridget Mary's Reflection:Time for LCWR/Nuns to declare freedom and live Vatican II vision that the people of God are the church, not the hierarchy alone. It is time for the nuns to shake the dust from their feet and continue to follow Jesus example of justice and equality. Catholics and non-Catholics stand in solidarity with the nuns who serve the poor and marginalized today, and that is the bottom line faith and teaching of the church, not the man-made rules of the hierarchy. I pray that we soon will have nun priests ordained in public! What a blessing they would be to our church! Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwpwww.arcwp.orgsofiabmm@aol.com

"A daring new departure"- This motto we let the occasion of the Catholic Conference to be creative ...

And ... we were present with multiple offers on the spot. (including street theater)In addition to two information booths and handing out our new flyer we made due contributions to the "conversation at Jacob's Well" and numerous radio and newspaper interviews, the Fim "Pink Smoke Over the Vatican" or selbstgetexteten theater and lyric attention to our international movement.

Our little contribution to mark the 10th anniversary of the "Danube Seven"!The pictures, videos and newspaper articles can be found under the heading "Catholic".

ROME -- "In the wake of Tuesday's meeting with representatives of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the Vatican official responsible for a recent crackdown said he still believes the relationship can work, but also warned of a possible "dialogue of the deaf," reflected in what he sees as a lack of movement on the Vatican's concerns.Cardinal William Levada is seen in a 2009 file photo. (CNS photo/Tony Gentile, Reuters)Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, floated the possibility that should the LCWR not accept the reforms outlined in an April 18 assessment, the result could be decertifying it in favor of a new organization for women's religious leaders in America more faithful to church teaching.Levada strongly rejected charges that the move against the LCWR is based on "unsubstantiated accusations" or lacks transparency, both complaints leveled in an LCWR statement issued last week. "In reality, this is not a surprise," he said, insisting that the process began four years ago and that its results are based not on secret accusations but "what happens in their assemblies, what's on their website, what they do or don't do."Levada also denied press reports that retired Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston helped instigate the move against LCWR, saying, "He's not involved in this."Levada made the comments in an interview with NCR held shortly after the meeting between officials of his office and Sr. Pat Farrell, president of the LCWR, along with Sr. Janet Mock, the group's executive director.The LCWR is the largest umbrella group for the leaders of women's religious orders in the United States.Capping a four-year review, in April, Levada's office issued a stinging eight-page assessment of LCWR, citing "serious doctrinal problems" and "doctrinal confusion," including alleged "silence" on abortion and other pro-life concerns, a policy of "corporate dissent" on matters such as women priests and homosexuality, and the inroads of "certain radical feminist themes."

In his NCR interview, Levada said he believes the breach between Rome and the LCWR can be repaired.

"I believe it can work," he said. "That's my hope and prayer."At the same time, Levada described the risk of a "dialogue of the deaf," saying the Vatican has been in talks with LCWR for four years, but along the way the group has made choices that, in Levada's eyes, signal it's not taking their concerns to heart. Specifically, Levada cited publication of an interview with Fr. Charles Curran, a moral theologian censured by the Vatican in the 1980s for his views on sexual morality, in a recent issue of the group's Occasional Papers as well as decisions to invite Barbara Marx Hubbard, often described as a "New Age leader," to address the upcoming August assembly meeting and to bestow an award on Immaculate Heart Sr. Sandra Schneiders, another theologian sometimes critical of Vatican policy.Levada acknowledged he had given LCWR the go-ahead to proceed with its August assembly, but said he wasn't aware at the time of the choice of speakers or honorees, and that "I wish they hadn't made these choices.""Too many people crossing the LCWR screen, who are supposedly representing the Catholic church, aren't representing the church with any reasonable sense of product identity," Levada said.Levada said while church officials cannot force LCWR to change course, if things come to an impasse, they can withdraw official recognition."What we can do, and what we'd have to do, is to say to them, 'We will substitute a functioning group for yours,' " he said.Levada said he doesn't yet know what such a "functioning group" might look like, except it should be a conference "that would focus on the priorities of religious life, the life of holiness, which is the fundamental call of all of us in the church."While there is already a rival umbrella group in the United States known as the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, broadly seen as a more traditional alternative to LCWR, Levada said "it could very well be" that a new group would have to be created to absorb the official role of LCWR. He stressed he hopes things don't come to that."We would like to see an effective and strong LCWR," he said.Levada also acknowledged that the Vatican cannot block the LCWR on its own from withdrawing from the official orbit and re-incorporating under civil law, but said that should the group make that choice, "the Holy See isn't going to give patronage to it."In the short term, Levada said he would take as evidence that things are moving in the right direction if LCWR enters into "a sincere, cordial and open dialogue" with Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle, tapped by the Vatican to oversee the reform envisioned in the doctrinal assessment.To date, Levada said, that hasn't happened.On other points, Levada denied that the move against LCWR was motivated by a desire to assert control over property and other assets of women's orders in America and rejected suggestions that the aim of the overhaul is to bring LCWR under the permanent control of the American bishops.Rather than "conspiracy theories," Levada said, the focus should be on the substantive issues in the Vatican critique."The church is a broad umbrella, and it doesn't quickly exclude people, even people who disagree on one point or the other," he said. "But ultimately, this is about a group that represents the church doing so in a way that is accountable to the teaching and tradition of the church."

Bridget Mary's Blog:Well thank you Cardinal Levada for revealing your true agenda in the "dialogue of the deaf". Obviously it is your way or the highway! Either the nuns obey or they will lose so-called official recognition as a Pontifical entity. The hidden agenda is , if the LCWR does not tow the line on the hot button issues such as women priests and "other certain radical feminist themes", the Vatican plans to replace it with the more compliant Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious. My guess is this was the plan all along and the trumped up Vatican investigation of the LCWR provided the fuel for the hostile take-over!I think the LCWR (and all progressive nuns' orders) should put their property and other financial assets in independent 501-c-3's and lead the way to Vatican 111. They certainly have the support of Catholics and non-Catholics in the U.S. and elsewhere. In order to be true to the teaching of Jesus who treated women as disciples and equals, they will not be able to continue as a pontifical entity because the real issue is a reversal of Vatican II for the nuns and submission to the Fathers' control. (including speakers for the annual LCWR conference. So they don't like the New Age speaker. I guess women priests, like me, are off any future speakers list!!)Cardinal Levada, ( can you imagine Cardinal Law could have been behind this slap down of the progressive nuns?) and other Vatican leaders cannot continue to discriminate against women and blame God for it. They cannot assert that this is what it means to be accountable to the teaching and tradition of the church. Jesus chose women as leaders. The Risen Christ appeared first to Mary, not to Peter, and called her to be the apostle to the apostles. Paul affirmed Junia as an apostle who was his mentor and teacher in Romans 16. Women were leaders in early church and they were ordained for the first eleven hundred years of our church tradition. The LCWR stands for justice and equality for women in the church and they are not going to deny our Catholic tradition of Gospel equality. They are not going to obey on issues that violate their consciences, no more than any Catholic should. The sooner that women's religious orders shake the Vatican dust off their feet and realize that the hierarchy and women religious live in two different ecclesial worlds, for the most part, the better off the Catholic Community will be. Pontifical approval of religious orders and at this stage of the LCWR is an albatross that needs to be cut lose!Bridget Mary Meehan, sfccI am a Sister for Christian Community (independent, ecclesial community of Sisters)sofiabmm@aol.comwww.arcwp.org

Bridget Mary Meehan, a Sister for Christian Community and an ordained Roman Catholic priest, has sent the following reflection to NCR for publication:

“A New Spiritual Uprising”

By Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan

A new spiritual uprising is rocking the Catholic Church today.

At the Vatican we see the “Monsignors’ Mutiny,” a tale of betrayal, corruption and power struggles that has the potential of becoming a blockbuster movie that could rival The Da Vinci Code. One Italian paper even suggested that an unnamed laywoman had secretly ordered the butler to leak the secret documents, which is referred to as “Vatileaks.” But the Vatican, of course, denies it all...

Like the woman in Luke’s Gospel whom Jesus declared free after being bent over for eighteen years, the Spirit is a-movin’ in the courageous nuns. In response to the Vatican’s rebuke of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious for their support of women’s ordination, homosexuality and contraception, the sisters are planning a bus trip to nine states to showcase their ministry to the poor and disenfranchised. Thousands of Catholics have attended prayer vigils and signed petitions in solidarity with the sisters in the Nun Justice Project.

One day, I pray that we will have nun priests!

On June 6th, seven Franciscan (OFM) provinces in the United States released a statement expressing their solidarity with the LCWR and critiquing the Vatican's doctrinal assessment of the sisters as "excessive." Let us rejoice that the fathers and brothers are rising up for justice for their sisters.

The Spirit is a-movin’ in the women priests movement as we live Gospel equality now and ordain women like Donna Rougeux. Donna was recently ordained a Roman Catholic Woman Priest in the second ordination of a woman priest in Lexington, Ky., in the Unitarian Universalist Church. Together with Janice Sevre-Duszynska, the first woman ordained here four years ago, Donna is standing up in solidarity with all who are oppressed and marginalized for justice. As a woman priest, she is leading - not leaving - the Catholic Church into a new era of inclusivity, partnership, equality and openness, where all are welcome to receive sacraments. Everyone belongs at the banquet table of God’s boundless, abundant love. As the Irish writer James Joyce reminded us in Finnegan’s Wake, being Catholic means “here comes everybody.”

In Luke 13:10-13, when the synagogue leader expressed outrage that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, Jesus called the religious leaders hypocrites and pointed out that this healing was for a daughter of Abraham and Sarah, who had suffered for 18 years. So, there are several take-home messages here: 1) Jesus treated women as equals. 2) People have priority over rules and regulations. 3) Sexism is sinful and should always be challenged. 4) Our compassionate God lifts up all who are bent over by the burden of patriarchy.

The good news is that the spirit of God is renewing the church in a spiritual uprising in vibrant, grassroots communities where the liturgical presiders include women priests, married priests, celibate priests and other leaders. Amazing grace is at work in our midst! Three examples are here in Lexington, the newly named Resurrection Community in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Community of St. Peter in Cleveland, Ohio. I predict that in the next several years, hundreds of empowered ecclesial communities will rise up for justice and live the change they have dreamed of in our church! We are living witnesses to the transformation, that one day will be affirmed in Vatican III, a Council of the People of God. Joel describes this passionate, outpouring of divine love on humankind in these words: “Your daughters and sons will prophesy, your elders will have prophetic dreams and your young people will see visions. I will pour out my Spirit even on those in servitude, women and men alike.” (Joel 3:1)

The institutional church is trying to keep women bent over when it refuses to recognize their call to the priesthood. No longer will we tolerate the Vatican’s practice of sexism, which is rooted in the misogynist attitude of church fathers like Tertullian, who once said that women are the “gateway to the devil,” and Thomas Aquinas, who defined woman as a “defective male.”

In a modern-day Inquisition, the Girl Scouts are facing an official inquiry by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The problem is their association with groups like Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, and the Sierra Club, because these organizations support contraception and family planning. We challenge the bishops for their unjust attack and stand in solidarity with the Girl Scouts for their program of empowerment of girls. Let us feast on Girl Scout cookies often!

If women priests were decision makers in our church, women’s health care, including contraception and universal health coverage, would be major justice issues. We believe women have the divinely human right to make reproductive decisions on their own behalf - without consulting male priests or bishops. Ninety-eight percent of sexually active Catholic women have used a method of contraception banned by the U.S. bishops.

A spiritual uprising in theology is evident today in the thinking of brilliant theologians like Elisabeth Johnson, author of Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God, and Sr. Margaret Farley, author of Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics. Both books have been denounced by the hierarchy. After the pope censured Farley’s book, which is a contemporary ethical approach to same-sex relationships, masturbation, remarriage after divorce, it soared from obscurity to the top of Amazon.com’s best seller list - six years after it was published. In her book, Farley argues that same-sex marriage “can also be important in transforming the hatred, rejection, and stigmatization of gays and lesbians.” She wrote that “same-sex relationships and activities can be justified according to the same sexual ethic as heterosexual relationships and activities.”

Women are silent and invisible and subordinate no more! We are speaking truth to power and the ministry of irritation is our forte!

Roman Catholic Women Priests Janice and Ree Hudson and Deacon Donna went to Rome last October to support Fr. Roy Bourgeois who four years ago stood here to witness for justice at Janice’s ordination. As you remember, that resulted in big trouble for Roy, which has played out like an ecclesiastical soap opera!

My favorite scene is the one where the Roman police are instructed not to arrest the women priests dressed in liturgical attire. The Italian police blocked Janice, Ree and Donna from entering the Vatican, but they did not haul them off to the police station like Fr. Roy and Erin Hanna of the Women’s Ordination Conference. Once again, as the world press recorded every minute of the drama, I was reminded that the Vatican is the gift that keeps on giving! Fr. Roy has recently published his story in a booklet entitled: “My Journey from Silence to Solidarity."

I believe that on a deep spiritual, mystical level women priests are beginning a healing process of centuries-old, deep misogyny in which spiritual power was invested exclusively in men. For some, like the Catholic hierarchy, women priests are a spiritual uprising. For millions of people the time has come for a holy shakeup that will bring new life, creativity and justice to the church and beyond.

Bridget Mary Meehan, a Sister for Christian Community, holds a Doctor of Ministry and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in Pittsburgh, Penn. on July 31, 2006. She was ordained a bishop on April 19, 2009. Meehan is currently dean of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Global Ministries University, and is the author of 20 books, including Living Gospel Equality Now: Loving in the Heart of God, The Healing Power of Prayer and Praying with Women of the Bible. She presides at liturgies in Mary, Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community in Sarasota, Florida and celebrates liturgies with groups in Northern Virginia. She can be reached by email at sofiabmm@aol.com, or by visiting the website of the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, www.arcwp.org.